legacy of nelson mandela. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. >>> the mind of a leader. let's play "hardball." ♪ >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews up in boston. so let me start with this. president obama continues his offense of getting great help from a 7% jobless rate. the best numbers from since the historic financial crisis he inherited back in 2009. and if there's a single powerful insight i got from our time yesterday is that those of us looking at president obama and the man himself are looking at the same reality. we see the right wing attack and obstructing him relentlessly. he certainly sees it. we see the gall of economic justice as the big of our time and so does the president. and so does pope francis in rome. and this economic justice is what's driving him. letting him weather from the right. he wants to help those most in need. but he also said this man who wanted to be a transformational president generally comes when one controls the government. times like the early new deal, the great society, and even the early months of the reag

. >>> and what happened when newt gingrich and ted cruz posted respectful tributes to nelson mandela? they were savaged by right wing critics who portrayed mandela as a terrorist. if that doesn't smell of racism out there, nothing will. >>> finally, if you've got a birther on your christmas list, have we got a gift for you. get it now before supplies run out. and this is "hardball," the place for politics. every day we're working to be an even better company - and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger. >>> president obama and first lady michelle obama are on their way to south africa for tomorrow's memorial for nelson mandela. they left this morning on air force one along with former president george w. bush, laura bush, and hillary clinton. bill clinton's traveling

nelson mandela? they were savaged by right wing critics who portrayed mandela as a terrorist. if that doesn't smell of racism out there, nothing will. >>> finally, if you've got a birther on your christmas list, have we got a gift for you. get it now before supplies run out. and this is "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ [ male announcer ] ever wonder why no other mouthwash feels like listerine®? because no other mouthwash works like listerine®. in your mouth, bacteria forms in layers. listerine® penetrates these layers deeper than other mouthwashes, killing bacteria all the way down to the bottom layer. so for a cleaner, healthier mouth, go with the mouthwash dentists recommend more than all others combined. #1 dentist recommended listerine®... power to your mouth™. [ fewinter is hard ] on your face. #1 dentist recommended listerine®... [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] the start of sneeze season. the wind-blown watery eyes. [ sniffling ] the sniffling guy on the bus. and, of course, the snow angels with your little angels. that's why puffs plus lotion is soft. puffs

no, i don't think the president is right. we will not see another nelson mandela. it's not likely in our life time. but we can bring a little mandela in us and become better people in the spirit of nelson mandela. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. up next is a special edition of "hardball." an exclusive interview with president obama. >>> tonight, we bring you to my interview with president barack obama. we present it against the backdrop of the passing of his personal hero nelson mandela. an event which msnbc will be covering for the rest of the evening. i have covered two great world events in my career. one was the fall of the berlin wall in 1989. the other was the first democratic election in south africa five years later. i was there when the country's black majority voted by the millions waiting in lines that stretched from one horizon to the other. i saw first hand the devotion to democracy and the non-violent political change that was the great legacy of the man who died today. president obama paid tribute to nelson mandela today. through his fierce dignity and unbendi

. president obama paid tribute to nelson mandela today. through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others i moved all of us. he embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power and reconcile those who jailed him set an example for all to aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or in our own personal lives. >>> i promised you the president of the united states. and he's here. let's play "hardball." >> it's my honor to introduce the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> well, thank you, mr. president. >> it's good to see you. >> so what brought you to "hardball"? >> american university. [cheers and applause] >> "hardball" was just an excuse to hang out with these fine, young people. i've had just wonderful experiences here. first time i spoke here, actually, was when i was running for the presidency. and ted kennedy announced his endorsement here. obviously he was an incredible friend and spoke in here about immigration. so i just have a wonderful interaction with